DEVENDRA BANHART
Cripple Crow
XL
· Freak flags at full-mast.
To call Devendra Banhart the patron saint of the nouveau freak folk scene would be an apt suggestion. Banhart and his troupes have gone forth to unleash a cavalcade of amazements – the likes of CocoRosie, Vetiver and the recent well-deserving Mercury Music Prize winners Antony and The Johnsons (on whose records Banhart appears) have released this year’s finest consecutive string of related albums.
And so, despite having released the near-perfect twin set of albums, Rejoicing In The Hands and Nino Rojo, last year, the pressure’s on our lead man to not only deliver a hat trick of masterworks, but also hold onto his rightful throne at the forefront of the movement.
Were we still in the age of vinyl, the lengthy Cripple Crow would dominate four full sides of wax. Stretched over 22 songs (at least double that was recorded for the album) and 74 minutes, Banhart has a lot to say and has enlisted a roll call of backing musicians as pictured, Sgt. Pepper’s-style, on the cover. The resulting sound carries with it the depth and surprise of Bob Dylan going electric.
Elsewhere, Banhart carries on with the stripped-back folk for which he’s suitably famous – opener "Now That I Know" wraps a drop-dead pretty melody with frightening lyrics hinting at hiding in the darkness behind closed doors. The remainder of Cripple Crow, however, carries on into the light, be it the stately title track’s demand, "Let Peace Come," or the gorgeous ode to the simple things "Korean Dogwood."
The gently brushed piano tumble "Some People Ride The Wave" proclaims, "Me, I write the song that ends right when it starts," and then Banhart proceeds to do just that on both the nonsensical "The Beatles" (which, despite its great opening line of "Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are the only Beatles in the world" goes nowhere but Fillersville) and "Dragonfly" – a pretty chorus but nothing more. Banhart’s prolific ways are well-known (not to mention documented), but these momentary distractions keep Cripple Crow from reaching the ranks of the aged classics to which it aspires.
All that said, there’s still no one quite like him, and Cripple Crow is the sound of an artist taking wing above and beyond the rest of the pack.
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